Initially, the newest space-themed movie, The Martian, had no appeal to me. The plethora of space movies recently released, such as Interstellar and Gravity, diminished any enthusiasm for viewing yet another. Frankly, the thought of watching another tedious, drawn-out rescue mission on some foreign planet sounded extremely dry to me as well.

Alas, The Martian redeemed itself upon actually viewing it. The unusual mix of comedy and drama was refreshing. Most space movies similar to The Martian include every minute detail on mathematical calculations necessary to execute the launch, yet fail to relate back to the audiences’ tastes. Ridley Scott, the director, was lucky to have other space movies released before his. It provided him the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. Scott incorporated the conventional elements of physics, mathematics, and even botany. Yet Scott kept the movie light by constantly intertwining the drama of the plot with relentless humor.

Scott picked Matt Damon to play Matt Watney in this film, an astronaut who was thought to be dead and abandoned by his team on Mars. Watney now must figure out how he will prolong his limited food supply, imitate contact with NASA, and return home alive. With this seemingly dark plot, director Scott mastered the essence of humor with Watney’s constant banter and comical observations about his disastrous situation. If considering whether or not to see this movie, I would strongly advise it as it may just change your opinion on movies with this similar overused space theme.